When Billy Cried
by Mrs.Cool
Summary: Billy's gay. He has never tried to hide it, but as School of Rock gets older, people have distanced themselves from him, including the one person he always thought would be there. Rated for language. No slash.
1. Pink Sunglasses

**Disclaimer: I do not own School of Rock or any of the characters of School of Rock.**

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Before you read this story, I would just like to point out that I do not wish to offend anyone with this story. I am in no way, shape, or form homophobic, and I apologize for the stereotyping and the use of some language.**

**Billy is a fun character in the movie, and even though it hasn't been said he's gay, it is my assumption so… here it goes… enjoy**!

* * *

The sun poured through a crack in the curtains and some annoying bird chirped from outside. The strip of sunlight was hitting Billy is his eyes, and he stirred and turned over on his side. He sat there in his bed for awhile, not really wanting to get up. His yellow cotton sheets felt good against his skin, and he buried himself deeper under his cover. 

After a few minutes, some other birds had joined the one singing bird outside, and suddenly Billy's eyes snapped open. It was the first day of spring and a Saturday no doubt. That meant one thing. Shopping.

An hour later, Billy had gotten his bath, which consisted of strawberry scented bubbles, brushed his teeth, flossed, and applied his face moisterizer, all the while humming a tune from the movie _Grease_. He was doing his hair, when his two older brothers, Brent and Mike, banged on the door.

"Just a second," Billy shouted.

Brent and Mike burst into the door, pushing Billy out of the mirror and messing up his hair.

"Hey!" Billy protested. "I'm still in here. Wait your turn."

"What are you doing in here?" laughed Mike. "Shaving your legs?"

"Applying makeup, you fag?" chortled Brent.

"Don't call me that!" Billy cried, as his older brothers pushed him out of the bathroom. They tossed out his hair product and comb with him, laughing as they slammed the door.

Billy sighed as he picked up his stuff and went into his bedroom.

Yes, Billy was gay. As far back as he could remember, he had been gay. While Zack Mooneyham was caught playing doctor with little Kathy Baker in preschool, Billy wanted to play doctor with Zack. Now that Billy was 12, he decided that he'd just wait for his prince charming to come around. It definitely wasn't any boy he knew at Horace Green.

After he did his hair messy yet stylish, he turned on his CD player to play his Donnas CD and went to his closet. While he was putting on his jeans, his cell phone rang. Sprinting across his large bedroom, he hopped on his bed and grabbed it just before it vibrated off his dresser. The screen read 'Michelle'.

He flipped it open and said happily, "Hey, Chelly, babe."

"Hey, Billy boy," Michelle said on the other side of the phone. "You up for some shopping?"

"Aren't I always?" Billy laughed. "I'm getting ready right now. Would've been ready ages ago if my macho, matching-plaid-with-stripes brothers wouldn't have interrupted my beautification."

Michelle giggled, and said, "Eleni's on her way to come pick me up. Be ready in, like, twenty minutes, ok?"

"Ok. Love ya!"

"Byes."

He closed his flip phone and tossed it on his bed, going to his closet to pick out a shirt. He chose a pink, fitted polo and popped the collar. He added a dab of glitter to his hair, and put on his favorite pair of checkered tan and pink converse shoes. He sprayed himself with some cologne and headed downstairs to breakfast.

When he got down stairs, his father was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. His father owned an advertising company that usually dealt with children's toys and cell phones. He was your typical business type, snotty and smug. He and Billy were very different from each other and didn't really communicate well, but Billy still loved him. His father favored his older brothers over him, and he knew why.

Brent was 16, and Mike was 15. They both played on their prep school's football team and had more muscle than Billy would ever want to have. He hadn't got along with them either ever since they caught him trying on a pair of his mother's pearl earrings. Billy had never thought to hide his sexuality until he found out that many people didn't seem to think that boys liking other boys was a good idea.

"Morning mom and dad," said Billy, sitting down at the table.

"Morning, son," his father didn't come from behind the newspaper.

"Morning, Billy," said his mother, sitting a plate of pancakes in front of him. "Where are you going so spiffed up?"

"Michelle, Eleni, and I are going to the mall today. They want to pick out their outfits for School of Rock's next show."

"And who better to help them than you," his mother smiled at him pleasantly.

There was a loud thump coming from upstairs and the three of them looked upward. They heard faint arguing.

"What are your brothers doing up there?" asked his mother.

"Being typical guys. They totally invaded my privacy today," Billy told his parents. "I thought you were going to talk to them about that."

His father sat down his newspaper and looked blandly at him. "Survival of the fittest. Every man knows that."

"But Dad, they called me a you-know-what again."

"I have to go, Honey," his father stood up from the table, and kissed his wife on the cheek. "We might get the Cathy Cuddle doll account today. Tell the boys I want them in the gym training."

He started to walk out, but Billy followed him. "Dad, did you hear what I said? About Brent and Mike?"

His father turned around, and stared sternly at him. "Billy, I don't have time for this. Stop whining like a little girl."

He left out the front door without a second glance back and Billy scoffed. Typical. Just typical. It was like his father didn't even care that his brothers harassed him about being, well, Billy.

He walked back in the kitchen, defeated, and began to pick at his pancakes. His mother sat down across from him with her daily cup of coffee.

"You know your father," she said kindly. "He's just under a lot of stress from work."

"Yeah, whatever. He hates me," Billy shook his head.

"He does not. He's just... a little upset that you're not playing football like your brothers."

Billy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Gee, how horrible. I thought he'd want me far away from boys as possible."

"Oh, stop that. Besides, shouldn't you be worrying about a certain birthday party?" his mother smiled widely. "Have you passed out your invitations to all of your friends?"

Billy shrugged, avoiding his mother's eyes. Truth was, he didn't have anyone to give an invitation to. Michelle and Eleni were pretty much his only _real _friends. No one in school liked him when he first enrolled in Horace Green. They called him names, ignored him at recess, and some boys even put a dress in his locker. The first time he had really fit in with something was when a man named Dewey Finn came to their school. Dewey had started a band in the classroom, and Billy, who always had a thing for designing clothes, volunteered to be the band stylist. It was his chance to make friends, and that's how he found Michelle and Eleni.

They would sometimes help him with his designs, which back then were horrible. He could admit that now and couldn't contain his laughter when Eleni would put on the silver glam outfit once meant for Freddy and dance around his bedroom.

"Um, Mom, how about we nix the whole party thing?" Billy asked timidly. "I think it'd be great if I just invited Leni and Chelly over for some cake."

"But you're officially going to be a teenager!" his mother insisted on the party idea, "What about the band? Did you invite them? Zack Mooneyham is one of your oldest friends."

"Mom, Zack has better things to do."

"He hasn't been over by in a very long time. I've talked to his mother. Are you guys in a fight or something?"

"No, Mom, you just... you just don't understand."

Thankfully the doorbell rang, just as his mother was about to push the party or Zack Mooneyham any further. He jumped up and ran for the door. Michelle and Eleni stood there, and both of them began to squeal and hug him.

"I'm outtie, Mom," Billy shouted to her. "I have the cell on me."

"Ok," his mother shouted back. "Don't spend all of your allowance on clothes!"

Getting to the mall only took fifteen minutes when Eleni's brother, Randy, drove. It was crowded and swarmed with people shopping, no doubt purchasing new clothes for the season. Billy planned on ignoring his mother's request on not spending all of his allowance. The week before, he had seen the most awesome pair of jeans in the Banana Republic. They had Billy written all over them.

The first store they went into, Michelle bought a new skirt and Eleni bought a new hat. They were both thirteen and puberty had treated them very nicely. If Billy didn't prefer boys, he'd definitely have crushes on them.

After a few more purchases, including shoes, designer jeans, clothes for the concert, jewelry, and a new handbag, they got something to eat at the foodcourt.

"I wish Zack was here," said Michelle, sipping her chocolate milkshake. "I love his hair now. Think I'd have a chance?"

"How could he resist you, Chelly? Everyone knows you're the prettiest girl in school. Plus, he, like, always flirts with you," said Eleni, giggling.

"I know, but he probably thinks I'm an airhead or something. Billy, you kind of know him. What should I do?"

Billy had torn his eyes away from some guy in the line for Bob's Mexican Burritos and focused on his friends. "Huh?"

"Zack. We were talking about Zack. You're, like, his next door neighbor. You can talk to him for Chelly."

"Uh," Billy eased into it, "Zack and I don't talk."

Anymore, he thought in his head.

Once bestfriends, Zack and Billy never talked anymore, not even having the band as an excuse. Before Horace Green, before the band, they had been joined at the hip, but Zack soon found out that Billy wasn't like the other boys. He didn't fit in with them, and well, Zack did.

The girls finished their conversation about Zack, while Billy sat there in boredom. Finally, they threw away their stuff and headed off to do more shopping. They came to a display of sunglasses and immediately got excited. They took turns trying on different pairs and looking into the small mirror.

"I have to get these for when we go boating this summer," said Eleni, trying on a pair or large, black sunglasses.

"Oh, those are cute," Billy nodded in agreement. "They're perfect for the shape of your face."

"What about these, Billy?" Michelle tried on a pair of similar sunglasses.

"Those make you look like a movie star. You should definitely get them."

"What about you? Aren't you going to buy a pair too?"

He scanned the different colors of sunglasses near him and said no. Just then, Eleni's face lit up and she grabbed a pair of the display rack.

"Oh my gosh, try these on!" she squeaked, handing him a pair of vivid pink, round sunglasses.

His face lit up. He loved the color pink. It could be classy, flamboyant, shocking, and reserved all at the same time. He slid the sunglasses on his face, and smiled, deciding that they looked like him.

"Are you going to buy them? Tell me you will!"

"Are you kidding? Hells yeah!" said Billy studying himself in the small mirror smugly. "God, I'm so stylish."

* * *

Eleni's brother dropped Billy off at his house three hours later. Billy was sporting his new sunglasses and a brand new tan messenger bag as he walked in and straight on through into the kitchen. 

"Hey, Mom, guess what I..." Billy stopped dead in his tracks. Mrs. Mooneyham and his mother were sitting at the kitchen table with cups of tea in their hands. "Oh... hey, Mrs. Mooneyham."

"Hello, Billy. I see you've been shopping," she smiled and nodded towards the bags in his hands.

"Yep."

Mrs. Mooneyham made him feel uncomfortable for some reason. She was a nosey woman and had a habit of judging people too quickly. She was brought up in a very wealthy family, and she was a very big snot. He noticed his mother acted more sheepishly when she was around, like she was afraid to say anything in fear of Mrs. Mooneyham saying something about it. If you thought Mr. Mooneyham was bad, his wife was ten times worse. It was amazing that Zack was even allowed to play in the band. It was even more amazing that Zack came out a normal kid living with that woman.

"Well," he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, "I think I'm going upstairs. Mom, call me down for dinner."

"Ok, Honey. We're having roasted chicken tonight," his mother told him.

Right as he went to leave, Mrs. Mooneyham spoke up in that smug voice of hers. "Billy, Zack's having a couple of the guys over tonight. You should stop over. He'd really like that."

Billy turned around to her slowly, forcing a smile. "Oh, that's great, but, um, I have homework to do. Maybe another time."

"But, Billy, it'll be all of your friends," said his mother. "I think it's a good idea."

Now they were double teaming him. He knew if he went, it'd be nothing but the boys making fun of him or being afraid to go near him. He had nothing in common with any of them so why create an uncomfortable situation for everyone?

"Nah, I don't think so. I'm feeling a little light headed," he lied. "I'm going to lie down. See you later, Mrs. Mooneyham."

He practically ran upstairs to his room and swung open the door. When he closed it behind him, he felt someone banging on it from the other side. He was flung across the room as the door was pushed open.

"Hey, loser, have you been using my shaving cream?" Brent glared at him, muscles bulging.

"No, God, why would I want to use your shaving cream. I have my own."

"I don't know what for. What? You have one hair under your armpit?" Brent laughed. "If I catch you using it again, you're dead, fag."

"Stop calling me that!" Billy yelled as he slammed the door.

He sighed in frustration and began to put his new stuff away in his closet. Overall, Billy had lived a good life. He had never known a time to not have money, and he was always able to get new clothes and things or go on vacations whenever they wanted to as a family. He had attended Horace Green Prep, a school of top notch education, since the fifth grade. He knew that once he reached high school level, he would attend Winston Academy like his brothers. Prep school after prep school.

He wasn't looking forward to going to Winston Academy because if you didn't play sports, you were basically a waste of space. Billy liked to draw. He liked fashion and art, and the academy wasn't exactly a place to study such things. He didn't even want to think about telling his parents in the future that he wanted to go into fashion design. No, he'd save that announcement when he already had his bags packed to leave for college the next day.

After dinner, he decided to go outside in his backyard and draw some sketches up in his tree house. He didn't like calling it a tree house because it made him sound like a child so he called it the Loft. It was anything but considering it was so small. He dreaded the day he'd actually be too big for it. That meant he'd have to stay inside the house and deal with his family. Surprisingly, his brothers were too stupid to realize that if they really wanted to bother and annoy him, all they had to do was come outside and bother him there.

He climbed up the little rope ladder and plopped down in a squishy yellow chair, all the while turning on his small lamp. On the walls were pictures of his favorite bands, actors, and singers.

Just as he started to draw a new skirt, he heard a large splash and a bunch of laughter. He peeked out of the Loft's window and saw Zack with a bunch of his friends. Freddy, Frankie, Marco, and Alan, the new kid who had come that year. Alan did a cannon ball into Zack's pool and the boys cheered on whooped for him. One by one, they all jumped in and began to splash and swim around, talking loudly.

"Hey, man, don't splash me," Frankie said to Zack, dunking him under.

Billy shut off the light and peered out to get a good look at the boys. They looked like they were having so much fun, laughing and handing each other roughly. He watched them for a very long time in amusement. He winced with them when Marco smacked the crap out of Frankie with a wet noodle, and he laughed with them when Freddie had pulled down Alan's swimming trunks and gave everyone a view. He didn't want them to suddenly look up and see him. They'd think he was doing it to be some sort of pervert. He just wanted to see what it was like being one of the guys, something he'd never be.

He sat back down in his yellow chair and took out his pink sunglass from his pants pocket and put them on. He turned back on his light, and everything was pink all around him. It was surreal and gave him a feeling of floating in mid air, blocking out all the happy sounds coming from next door. He liked that feeling.

**A/N: So what did you think as a starting chapter? I started this story way back in like October or November I think so it's been a slow process. I will probably have the next chapter up in two weeks, but don't count on regular weekly updates like on my story "Dealing With It". If you've never read that, go read it :-D! I'm way way WAY busy these days, and I'm lucky if I can even write for a day.**

**I don't know why, but I can't help but to picture Billy, Eleni, and Michelle being preppy. I can't shake this notion in my head, even though School of Rock is for the rockers! I just see them wearing these vivid colors and popped collars. Tell me if I should reconsider this.**

**Once again, I hope I didn't offend anyone with this story, and I apologize if I do/did. Please REVIEW for me, it'd mean an awful lot to me :-D :-D. Where do you think the story is going? Was it a little too vague for an opening chapter? What do you think of Billy as a character in this? And can you see what kind of friendship the three have right off the bat? Thanks for reading :-)**


	2. Best Friends

"Morning, Ms. Mullins," said Billy politely as he entered the school building.

"Morning, William," Ms. Mullins patted him on the back kindly. "Morning Michelle and Eleni."

He and his two bestfriends squirmed around and pushed through the crowd of students and headed for their lockers. Eleni's was right next to Billy's, but Michelle's was all the way at the other end of the hall. She told them that she would meet them in 1st period study hall and headed down to her locker. Zack, Freddy, and Katie walked up to her and began a conversation as they walked away.

Freddy was walking hand in hand with Katie. They had been going out for a couple of weeks now. Everyone in the band had boyfriends and girlfriends except for Zack, Eleni, Michelle, and himself. Summer had just started dating someone in her history class, and Tomika and Lawrence were together. Their 2 month anniversary was coming up. Leo had gotten very tall in a short period of time and was macking majorly on Alicia. Marta was dating Marco, Gordon was with some girl from his church, and Frankie was writing some girl from summer camp. Hell, even Dewey was with Ms. Mullins. It was only a matter of time before Zack asked out Michelle.

Billy was a gossip queen, er, king. He knew everything about everyone's relationship since he figured it'd be a long time before he'd have his own. The new kid, Alan, was rumored to like Eleni, but Eleni wasn't interested one bit. Alan wasn't a very nice person. He had almost taken Freddy's place of being the class clown, but Freddy had immediately put a stop to that. He wasn't apart of the band, but he hung out with the majority of those in the band. Billy hated him. It was almost like he was trying way too hard to fit in with them. Then again, Billy didn't really fit in with them. Not anymore.

"...And she was like 'no way, Freddy. You promised that we'd go see a movie' and he was all like 'but I just want a night out with the guys', but they made up over pizza yesterday. Michelle saw them," Eleni's was telling him about Katie being upset with Freddy about ditching her for Zack's party Saturday.

Billy studied himself in the mirror on his locker door and fixed his hair, "That sounds _so_ like Freddy. Only he would choose his friends over his girlfriend."

He took out his math and science books and notebooks and shoved them into his messenger bag. Eleni did the same, and the two headed to the cafeteria for studyhall.

"But I mean, I can understand that. Sometimes you just need to be with your friends," said Eleni as she waved to some person that said hi to her. "Like if I made plans with you and Chelly, my boyfriend would just have to deal with it."

"But it sounds like Freddy made plans with Katie before he decided to go to Zack's. Katie had every right--"

"Hey, Eleni," Alan appeared out of nowhere, looping his arm around Eleni and slightly tugging her away from Billy.

Billy ignored him and walked ahead. He always did that whenever Alan talked to Eleni. He'd always glare at Billy and pull her away from him as if she shouldn't be walking with him.

"Hey, Alan," said Eleni politely.

"What are you doing this Saturday night?" he asked.

Billy rolled his eyes.

"Um, well, it's only Monday. I don't know," Eleni replied.

_Good girl, Leni_, Billy said inside his head.

"Well, I think we should go out for pizza."

_Is he serious? She has better things to do then hang out with an idiot like you_.

Eleni chuckled lamely. "Yeah, sure."

_What?_

"That's what I like to hear. I'll see you later, eh?"

"I guess so."

Billy turned around and shot her a confused look. "I thought you didn't like him."

"I don't know. He seems nice enough. I heard his jacuzzi changes colors," said Eleni, as they entered into the cafeteria.

"So what! My pool lights change colors," he said. "Big freakin' deal."

They took a seat in the far back, away from where Mrs. Lemmons usually sat so they could pass notes back and forth to each other. Billy got out his math homework. He hadn't done it that week and was happy that he could get it completed now.

"It's just a date, Billy. God, you sound like my brother," Eleni laughed.

Michelle walked in and took her seat on the opposite side of Billy. She had a smug expression on her face, and the way she tossed her hair before looking up at her friends meant one thing. Zack Mooneyham.

"Uh oh," smiled Eleni, "give us all of the details."

"He leaned against my locker and said I looked really great today," Eleni bit her lip to hold in her excitement.

"Oh my God, no way!" beamed Eleni.

"We're wearing these ugly uniforms," Billy chimed in, "How could you possibly look great?"

Michelle glared at him, getting out her notebook. "Obviously, Billy, he was trying to flirt. No need to ruin my great mood because you can't have a boyfriend."

"God, I'm sorry," Billy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I was just saying..."

"I'm going out on a date with Alan," Eleni said, breaking the tense moment. Michelle smiled and asked Eleni to give her full details.

Billy was closer to Eleni than Michelle. Michelle had the tendency to get really snotty sometimes. She and Billy always got into it, and Eleni had to be the referee. Eleni couldn't really stand up to Michelle, and Billy didn't really care to. He figured he'd let her have her stupid superiority and just talk about her later with Eleni.

Mrs. Lemmons came in and ordered them all to be quiet and to get out something constructive to do. Billy started on his homework and hoped that lunch would hurry up and come.

* * *

There was a mad rush to get to the bathroom before heading off to lunch. While Eleni and Michelle headed off towards the girls' bathroom, Billy went to the boys' restroom. He walked in and went up to the urinal. The door swung open, and in walked Freddy, Alan, and Zack.

"Yeah, that's hilarious--" Freddy paused, along with the other two boys, as they stared at Billy at the urinal.

Billy quickly looked away in embarrassment.

"Um, I think I'll hold it," he heard Freddy say.

"Yeah, me too," said Alan. "We'll wait out in the hall for you, Zack"

"Whatever," mumbled Zack as he walked up to the urinal beside Billy.

He heard the doors close with a swinging slam and tried to ignore the fact that Zack was right next to him. It was awkward and embarrassing. Were Freddy and Alan really that afraid to use the same restroom as him? It wasn't like he was going to stare at them. After all, he had the same parts.

As he was washing his hands, Zack suddenly said, "So... hey, Billy."

"Hey," said Billy in a fake voice.

Zack walked over to the sink and began to wash his hands too. Billy fixed his hair nervously.

"What's up?" asked Zack.

"Nothing."

"Oh."

A few awkward seconds passed by and Billy heard himself say, "You don't have to talk to me or anything. I don't expect you to."

Zack, who had begun to walk away, turned around. "Listen, about that, I'm sorry. It's just... the guys don't feel comfortable around you anymore, and--"

"No, it's ok," lied Billy. "I mean, I know how everyone feels about the gay guy."

"It's not like that."

"Zack, I'm not stupid. We were friends once, and now we're not. It's logical."

The bathroom door creaked open, and Alan yelled obnoxiously, "Zack, stop talking to your girlfriend and let's go eat."

Billy freaking hated that kid.

Zack blushed and shook his head. "Look, I don't have a problem with you or anything. It's just right now..."

Billy felt himself get angry. He didn't want to hear any of Zack's lame excuses of why he suddenly ignored him in the hallways and forbade him to eat lunch at the guys' table, or why they couldn't be friends anymore even though they had been friends since they were born.

"You'd better head out," said Billy, annoyed. "Wouldn't want Freddy and Alan thinking that we're kissing in here."

He pushed past him and headed out the door, leaving Zack there with an embarrassed look on his face. Freddy and Alan had been standing right outside the door, and stopped from laughing about something as soon as they saw him emerge.

Billy rolled his eyes and headed towards the cafeteria. He sat down next to his two friends after getting his lunch and joined in on their conversation about how Lawrence and Tomika were caught making out in Dewey's van a week ago.

"Full on French kissing," laughed Eleni, "and he had his hand up her shirt."

"No way! I can't believe she let him go to second base already. I wonder what he kisses like," said Michelle, looking deep in thought.

"Tomika says he's a great kisser. Lawrence... I never would've thought," Eleni took a bite of her apple, crunching loudly.

"I could believe it," said Billy, "I mean, it's always the quiet ones, right? I bet they've had sex."

Michelle gasped in excitement. "Oh my God, we _have_ to find out!"

They giggled as Lawrence and Tomika walked past, hand in hand. They sat down at the table where Alicia, Leo, Marta, and Marco were. Across the room, Freddy and Katie were sitting with each other at the boys' table.

"This is so pathetic," Michelle sighed. "I just wish Zack would hurry up and ask me out. I know he wants to."

"Give him time. Zack's a slow working guy," said Billy absent mindedly, biting into his salad.

He looked up when he realized his friends were staring at him. He took another bite. "What?"

"You and Zack used to be pretty close, huh?" asked Michelle.

Billy shrugged and took a sip of his juice. "Something like that."

Michelle and Eleni exchanged amused looks.

"So," Michelle clicked her tongue, "do you, like, have a crush on him or something?"

Billy looked up and glared at her, "you're so childish, Chelly, you know that."

"What? I'm just saying. You like boys and--"

"That doesn't mean I like every boy I see. I have standards," he snapped at her. "Do you like every boy you see?"

"No."

"My brother said that there's this boy in his high school that's gay, and he gets picked on everyday," said Eleni sadly. "I don't know why people are like that."

"That's because it's weird," admitted Michelle.

Eleni hit her on the arm, and Billy continued to glare at her.

"Well, if I'm so _weird_, then why are you friends with me?" he asked her in an acid tone.

Michelle blushed and shrugged. "I know you. It's different."

Billy felt very angry. He knew Michelle was a little on the dense side, but he couldn't believe that she could be so naive. There was nothing 'different' about the situation. Billy wasn't the only one gay, and if she was going to put all other gays under 'weird' then he would have to be placed with them too. It hurt him that she seemed so nonchalant about it.

He had never really talked about this sort of thing with them before. All they really knew was that he liked guys. They hadn't even bothered to ask him either.

He stared down into his salad, wanting to throw it across the room and flip over the table. First Zack approaching him to apologize for something he wasn't going to change, and now his best friend making accusations about something she knew nothing about.

"I'm not so hungry anymore," Billy said miserably, getting up from the table and taking his tray with him.

* * *

Billy walked down the hall all by himself. He half expected Eleni and Michelle to come after him, but when he turned around, no one was there. Typical.

It wasn't as though he wanted to step up on a soap box about gay rights or anything, but at times like these, he felt so alone. No one else at Horace Green had 'come out'. He figured it was because they were still very young and unsure of how to handle it. Billy was very mature for his age. He knew that, and to be honest, he didn't feel like he had anything to hide.

He was just about to turn the corner when he heard his name.

"Billy Boy, wait up!" Eleni ran up to him.

_It took you long enough._

"Michelle says you're overreacting."

"I can't believe her sometimes!" Billy spun around angrily.

"You know how she is," Eleni shrugged, as she and he began walking down the hall together. "Just ignore her."

"I can't. You two are my best friends, but she really needs to get over herself. I started to think you wouldn't come after me."

"I didn't want her to get mad at me. I told her that I was going to talk to you about calming down."

Billy glared at her, and she quickly added, "but I'm on your side. You know that. Besides, who else would help me shoe shop?"

The two chuckled and Eleni took his hand, stopping him before they reached the end of the hall. "I love you for who you are. Whether or not anyone else does. Best friends forever?"

Billy grinned at her feeling a lot better than he had minutes ago. "You betcha, gorgeous."

"Speaking of which," said Eleni as they continued down the hall, "I hope you know you're helping me get ready for my date on Saturday."

Billy looked apprehensive, but after awhile he winced and said, "Ok, ok, but nothing too over the top. Why Alan Darby, the biggest jerk of a lifetime?"

"I don't know. He pays attention to me. It's a nice feeling, I guess," she said, shrugging. "Plus, think about how jealous Michelle is 'cause I have a date before her."

* * *

Billy, Eleni, and Michelle walked out of the school side by side and put on their sunglasses at the same time. They looked and walked like minnie supermodels walking down the run way.

Michelle was considered the hottest girl at Horace Green, followed by Katie Brown and Eleni. The way she walked, the way she talked, and the way she laughed made the boys drool and the girls scowl of jealousy. Any boy would have been grateful for her to ask him to tie her shoes, but she only wanted Zack, who was the complete opposite of her. Zack was laidback, quiet, and very much like a rock musician. He was the lead guitarist in School of Rock and Michelle's favorite to cheer for.

Eleni was the pretty, nice girl that could put a smile on anyone's face. The guys who weren't drooling over Michelle or Katie were drooling over her. She was often overshadowed by Michelle, but she was definitely smarter. Her parents were loaded. Her family had money coming out of their ears, but you'd never know it the way Eleni acted. She always made Billy feel important.

"Listen, my mom wants me to go to the hairstylist, but I'll be online later on tonight," Michelle told them. "You guys gonna be on?"

"Yeah, sure," said Eleni.

"I'll be on if my brothers aren't hogging it," said Billy, catching a glimpse of his father parked across the drive. "My dad's here. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Billy boy."

"Yeah, bye Billy."

He waved goodbye and headed towards his dad's brand new Honda civic. His mom hadn't picked him up today. He wondered why that was.

"Hey, Dad," he said, putting his messenger bag in the back seat and climbing into the front seat, clicking his seatbelt on.

"How was your day?" asked his father, taking off as soon as Billy was settled. He didn't look over at him once.

Billy frowned at his dad. He knew his father wanted to know about his school day as much as he wanted to know about his day at work.

"Where's Mom?" he asked, ignoring the question.

"She's out buying your party decorations for your birthday."

"What!" Billy exclaimed. "I told her I didn't want a party."

"Let your mother do what she wants to do. Mike and Brent had parties when they turned thirteen and when Brent turned sweet sixteen. She wants you to have one too," said his father blankly as if he wasn't really paying attention.

Billy wanted to continue to protest, but he knew it was pointless. Instead he just sank down in the seat, watching to the trees go past. His father was always so indifferent about everything he had to say. So what if he didn't play sports or didn't do anything his father thought he should do. He was an artist, but his father didn't even know he could draw. Not as if he ever told him either, but that wasn't the point. The point was he didn't even know his own son, and it hurt. It really hurt.

**A/N:I definitely wanted this up last week, but the site was being lame and wouldn't let me sign in to upload the damn thing.**

**ok, so yet another vague chapter, but I put it here for various reasons. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise we will get to the good stuff pretty soon :-). I never make promises I can't keep.**

**Oh and I know Zack isn't getting much slack in this story yet, but I promise he's not as reputation-hungry and 'self-centered'(not the right word but you know what I mean hopefully)as he appears in this, but right now, that's just how Billy sees him. And although it isn't said at the end, Michelle and Billy also have the relationship where after an hour or so, they're back to being best friends again. So don't get thrown off thinking 'wtf! They were just fighting!'.**

**I hope people will find the next chapter a bit comical… what am I saying! I'm not funny.. I can't be funny..but it won't be put out for quite awhile. I've got to do some major revising and rethinking. Toodles until next time, wonderful people :-D**


	3. What Men Do

"Hey, hey, listen up," said Billy's father over dinner Wednesday night. "I have some exciting news."

"I'm getting a new car?" asked Brent.

"I'm getting Brent's car?" asked Mike hopefully.

"We're going on vacation to Hawaii again?" Billy beamed from his seat.

"Oh yeah! Those Hula dancers were hot," Mike laughed and high-fived Brent. "When are we leaving?"

"Woah, calm down! That's not the news. The news is I got four tickets to this Friday's baseball game," Billy's father said, smiling.

"The one that's sold out? No way, Dad!" Brent raved.

"Yep son, picked 'em up today."

"Well, why'd you get four tickets?" asked Mike.

"Because I thought we could make it a family affair," said Billy's dad, glancing over at Billy quickly. "You know, me, you, Brent, and Billy."

_Baseball? Why would I want to go to that_, thought Billy.

"You guys all get to miss school Friday. We leave out early that morning. What do you think about that, Billy?"

Everyone turned to look at him, and he mushed his mashed potatoes down with his fork. They all knew that he hated sports. What did he think about it? He thought it was stupid and just another way to make him feel even more less connected to his own family.

"That sounds fun and all, but I don't think I should go," he finally said, smiling falsely before shoving a fork full of potatoes into his mouth.

"Oh, come on now, Billy. Go," his mother encouraged him. "You'll miss school, you'll get to dress down for once, you'll eat nachos and hotdogs until you barf. It'll be fun."

"I don't even like nachos," he shook his head, hoping they'd leave the subject alone.

For a moment, his mother and father exchanged glances as if they were trying to read each other's minds, and his father said, "Billy, you're going, and that's that. It's what men do. We bond over sports."

Everyone tucked back into their food, and Billy rolled his eyes and ate the rest of his meal quietly. This sounded like anything but fun. This sounded like trouble.

* * *

"Baseball?" Eleni laughed loudly. "Is he serious?" 

"Oh, Billy. You're going to look so cute with your giant foam finger," Michelle laughed and flipped a page of her magazine.

After dinner, Billy had called them over to his house to hang out and give him advice on what he should do about the whole father and sons outing that weekend. So far, they weren't helping.

"Guys, this isn't funny," Billy sighed, stopping from sketching Michelle lying there on his bed with her ankles crossed in the air. "He even made some lame comment. _It's what men do_."

"Do you even _know_ anything about baseball?" asked Michelle in a sneering tone.

"No, do you?" he shot back at her.

"No, but I know that first base doesn't mean making out in baseball terms," she rolled over and hopped up off of his bed. "And what are you going to wear?"

"Michelle, it's a baseball game, not a fashion show," chimed Eleni, searching through Billy's closet.

"It's Billy we're talking about. His life _is_ a fashion show," said Michelle.

Eleni ignored her, turning around towards Billy holding an old hat that his father had bought him three years ago. The thing was a forest green color and looked simply horrid.

"I have an idea," she said.

"You're going to help me get out of this?" Billy asked hopefully, but for some reason, he didn't like how she was staring at him.

She simply smiled at him and slipped the ugly, baseball cap on her head.

* * *

"HEY, BATTER BATTER BATTER!" Michelle yelled obnoxiously and let out a rather loud giggle. 

Billy scowled at her and continued to roll the plastic ball in his hand. It was Eleni's fault that they were out in his large backyard at 8 o'clock that night, using flower pots for bases, and using Brent's baseball bat and ball. If Brent found out, Billy would be spitting out teeth, but luckily he had gone over to his girlfriend's house and Mike went over to his friend's place as well.

"I don't feel like doing this," Billy protested.

"Just throw the ball," Eleni stood impatiently, leaning on the bat with her hip poked out defiantly.

Billy huffed in annoyance and threw the ball weakly towards Eleni. She swung and hit the ball, knocking it clear across his backyard.

"Goodness, woman!" Billy watched the ball fall near some hedges and Michelle ran to go get it. "How'd you learn to hit like that?"

"I _do_ have an older brother," she smiled, walking up to him and handing him the bat. "Ok, it's your turn. Just concentrate and hit it as hard as you can."

Billy took the bat and headed to the flower pot, er, home base plate.

"Pitcher's got a big butt," Michelle laughed as she handed Eleni the ball, and Eleni laughed and shook her head.

Billy was happy that _they_ were having so much fun, but he could've been doing better things like sketching or watching MTV or something. It was dark even though the back porch light was on and he could barely see the outlining of his friends.

"Ok, Billy, are ya ready?" called out Eleni.

"No!" he whined.

"Well get ready 'cause I'm pitching it to you," she said, and before he could respond, he watched a white ball being hurled at him.

He went to swing the bat, but it was a lot heavier than it had let on.

"What's going on?" said someone behind him, and he spun around. The ball smacked him hard in the arm.

"Who is that?" Billy squinted.

"Zack. My parents heard some commotion so they sent me over here to see if everything's ok," Zack stepped into the light so that the outline of him was visible. "What're you guys doing?"

Michelle seemed to appear at Billy's side instantly. "Hi Zack!" she squeaked out.

Eleni ran up as well, removing Billy's old hat from her head and wiping off a bit of sweat from her forehead. "What's up, Zack." Just playing a little baseball. Billy's going to a game this Friday."

Billy rolled his eyes at the reminder and picked up the ball that had rolled near Zack's feet.

"We'll keep it down," he muttered more to the ground than Zack, rubbing the spot on his arm that the ball had hit. "I doubt the game will last too much longer."

"Baseball? I thought you hated sports. Remember when our dads made us play tee-ball that one year? You cried every time you had to bat," said Zack, sounding cleared surprised at the news. Michelle laughed out loud and pinched Billy's cheek.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to go—"

"—But his dad's making him. Male bonding experience and all, you know," Michelle explained.

"Oooh, I get it," said Zack, nodding in understanding. "Dude, my dad did that to me a couple of years ago, a few months after I had been playing in the band. He got all weird on me, talking about he was worried that the only hobby I had was music, and a man needed a sport."

"What'd he make you do?" Now Billy was interested.

"Dude, _Hockey_," Zack cringed, and Billy winced. "It was freezing cold, and watching guys get rammed up against the glass and smearing slobber all over it was not my idea of fun. I mean, if I wanted to see that, I could just hang out at Dewey's while he's drunk. But I looked like I wanted to be there and cheered and stuff so my dad never gave me a hard time about it afterwards. Plus, the nachos were awesome."

"I hate nachos," Billy mumbled, but no one seemed to hear him.

"Well, I better get going. See you guys in school," said Zack, ready to make an exit and go back next door. "And Billy, I swear this works. Just looked excited and clap whenever everyone else does. He'll be off your back in no time."

"Wait! Do you want to play with us?" asked Michelle.

"Nah, I was in the middle of writing a song when my mom made me come over here. I'll play it for you sometimes, when it's finished," he said directly to her.

Billy and Eleni exchanged glances and held in snickers and eye rolls.

"I'd like that," said Michelle waving him off. When he disappeared from sight, she turned to them and tossed her hair, wearing a large grin. "We should play baseball at 8 o'clock at night more often."

Then continued the game until Michelle said her legs were hurting her, and Eleni's brother called to say he was on his way. Billy saw then off, hurried up the stairs to place Brent's things back in place, and hurried into his own room. He thought about Zack's advice and decided that it didn't hurt to try, and just maybe he'd end up liking the outing.

After finishing up the picture of Michelle from earlier that night, he fell asleep drawing a hockey player being slammed up against the Plexiglas.

**A/N: So.. I have a really super duper long and exhilarating explanation as to why I haven't updated in literally forever.. and I was totally going to type it out.. but I'll just spare you from it and offer a huge apology. :( -look at that sad, begging-for-forgiveness face. You've probably forgotten about the story anyway lol but I'm not just going to leave it hanging. No! I shall finish the unfinished!**

**This chapter was short, like many of the others will be but I'm hoping it'll be enough to keep readers a bit interested, interested enough to keep reading. The next chapter has not been written ahead of time SOOO it might be awhile for a posting, but I promise it will NOT be as long as last time. Umm.. wow.. it's been so long that I kinda forgot how to write a proper author's note. **

**Oh yes! I'll admit to you, I do not like sports so I don't know any of the rules and how everything works and all that so please just.. ignore any ignorance I may spread about baseball and its ways. I'm going to do the best I can and I'm far too lazy to actually research it for the moment. So when the game comes up, just go with it lol and fight the urge to tell me how dumb I am. I can't argue with my brain when it has an idea although it would be nice to sometimes. **

**On that note, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and we'll be getting to the "action" later :). If anyone has any suggestions on how to better the story let me know, and please review. Thank you :). **


	4. What Men Do: Part Two

**What Men Do: Part 2**

Billy did not feel like getting up.

His father knocked on his bedroom door for the third time that morning, shouting for him to get a move on. Traffic was going to be rough in the city as well as parking, and he wanted to hurry.

After awhile of moping under his covers and realizing that he was not going to fall back asleep peacefully, nor would he magically be able to get out of this, he got up and got a shower.

Brent and Mike were already up and ready, and they were downstairs talking sports with their dad. It was nice to take a nice shower and get ready in peace for once. Billy figured his dad should take Brent and Mike to more sports outings if it was the one time they weren't going to be jerks.

Figuring it'd be cold in the stadium, he selected a vertical striped button down, and a navy blue blazer with a pair of nicely fit jeans, complete with large, white sunglasses. It was casual, yet boyish enough and navy blue was a neutral color that was probably ok for wearing no matter what sports team he was there to "support".

Before he went downstairs, his cellphone vibrated.

Michelle was on the caller id, and he immediately flipped it open.

"Morning, Billy Boy!" shouted Michelle, and before Billy could respond, Eleni too shouted, "Billy, we miss you!"

"Hey! Aren't you guys supposed to be in class?" Billy laughed.

"We're in the girl's bathroom. Teacher-free territory."

"Today sucks 'cause your not here."

"Excited for the game? What are you wearing?"

He didn't know which one was saying what because the two girls always sounded the exact same over the phone, but he was so very happy to hear them both.

"I went with the navy blue blazer today. Think it's 'manly' enough?" asked Billy, mocking the theme of the day.

"Very. Men are drawn to ugly, bland colors. Navy blue is the ugliest color ever invented, hence why I loath our uniforms." He was sure that came from Michelle.

"Speaking of clothes, my date with Alan is tonight. At Bozman's." That was Eleni. "Should I wear the jean skirt or the white capris with the light pink top I bought last week?"

"No, no, no. I don't trust him not to spill anything on those white capris. He's too much of an idiot," said Billy, rolling his eyes. "Go with the jean skirt but try a more modest top. Let him know that you don't kiss on the first date."

"Billy!" Eleni giggled.

"I'm serious, Leni. He's not worth it. In fact, you just made the rest of my day a downer for even reminding me you might actually like that guy."

"You don't worry your cute little butt about that now. Just have fun today, and hey, you don't have to deal with Ms. Mullins cracking the whip. That's enough reason for anyone to enjoy the day off."

"Text us if you need anything. Love ya!"

"Love ya!"

"Love ya! Bye," he said and hung up, ready to go downstairs and get the show on the road.

His father was in the doorway, face neutral. "I see you're finally up. Grab something to eat so we can get moving."

He grudgingly followed his father down the steps, sighing out loud and hoping he'd hear him and get the hint that he'd kill to be in school today rather than go to this stupid baseball game. Brent and Mike were arm wrestling over an extra bagel, and so far Brent was winning. Blocking out the annoying grunting and scuffle, Billy sat down and tapped his fingers on the kitchen table with impatience.

"How are you feeling today, Honey?" his mother asked, placing a plate of French toast, scrambled eggs, and hash browns in front of him.

He looked up at her smiling face and wondered if he could make himself cry in order to stay home. No, she wouldn't buy it. As a matter-of-fact, he was sure she was up to this in some way. He had no allies in this house anymore.

He sighed dramatically. "Pumped. Absolutely pumped."

"Yeah!" Mike shouted, slamming his fist down on the table. He snatched up the bagel smugly, proud to have beaten his older brother. Brent sulked for a moment and focused his attention on Billy. Billy looked away hastily and started on his breakfast.

"Hey fag, you gonna eat that?" asked Brent pointing to something on his plate.

"Watch your mouth, Brent!" their mother snapped, spinning around to give him the death glare.

"Mom, relax, I'm just playing with him," Brent shied away. "Are you going to eat that?"

"Yes," said Billy, smirking in his direction. Maybe he did have an ally left after all. As he turned in his chair to plead to his mom to stay home, his father stood up from the table and told them to head out to the car.

Billy took one last glance towards him mom, who shot him a sympathetic look and nodded in assurance. He sighed for about the tenth time that morning and followed his bulky brothers out the door.

* * *

The conversation during the ride into the city was nothing special. Billy and Mike sat in back, while Brent and their dad had the front. The three of them chatted importantly about the stats of a couple of the players on the baseball teams, while Billy stared out the window dully. He regretted that he didn't bring his IPod along, and even though it only took twenty minutes to drive into the city, it felt like an hour by the time they arrived.

Traffic looked impossible from the inside of the car, but somehow, Billy's dad managed to find a parking garage near the baseball stadium. The crowd filtering in was enormous, and Billy jogged to keep close to his family just in case the crowd tried to swallow them up. Before they found their seats, they stopped at the concession stand. Brent and Mike loaded up on snacks, and Billy settled for a large soda and a hotdog.

Once they found their seats, the game had already started and the crowd was rowdy. Billy's seat was towards the middle, next to a large man that could barely fit into his chair. A loud woman with bushy dirty blonde hair and a team jersey sat behind him and shouted hoarsely in his ear a bunch of mangled swear words.

He kept his sunglasses up so no one could see him roll his eyes and winced at the woman's voice when she screamed again.

Ten minutes in, he was playing bowling on his cellphone, ignoring the roar of the crowd whenever someone ran all three bases all the way home and scored. By the look on his father and his brothers' faces, the team they supported wasn't winning.

"This is—I can't believe—holy—!" the bushy haired lady was screaming incredulously in his ear. The fat man sitting next to him was guzzling beer and burping every once in awhile.

"Billy, get off your damn phone," Mike suddenly nudged him, "You're missing the whole thing!"

"What a tragedy," Billy mumbled lamely.

"Awh, don't be such a drama queen," Mike joked, pinching his cheeks.

Billy tried to fan him off, and one of Mike's eager hands smacked the phone out of Billy's, and it fell to the ground, the battery popping out. Mike laughed and returned back to the game. Just as Billy reached down to pick it up, something happened that had his father and brothers up out of their seats and cheering loudly. The fat man had been excited too, and right before Billy's fingers could even brush the smoothness of the phone, it was crushed to pieces under the man's foot. Billy gasped and jumped up out of anger and panic, and the mustard on his hotdog when sliding down his jeans.

"Dad!" Billy shouted over the claps and roars. But his dad was caught up in his team's new luck to hear him, as were his brothers. He stared at them for a long time, trying to understand them as if he were a stranger looking in. He couldn't, and they would never understand him. He excused himself to the bathroom without anyone noticing, and whenever he heard cheering echo into the bathroom stalls, he prayed that his father's team was still losing.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I'm back…... yay?!**

**I literally look at this story on my computer once a month, and every time, I know what I want to happen, but I never have the energy or time. Needless to say though, I had an EXTREMELY tough time with this chapter, which is why I decided to cut it so short. Very short. Very very short. It just needed to be so I could move on. **

**I've had the next chapter written forever, but I obviously couldn't post it without posting this. So please forgive me for leaving you guys hanging. I have really good reasons, I promise, but tonight, I just needed to do it. The next chapter is a bit dramatic, but I love it for some reason. I promise myself and you that I WILL finish this story in time. I don't know when, but I hope soon. And just to make it up to you guys who actually take the time and read my stuff, I wrote another SOR one-shot kind of fanfic, and I'll post that as well probably by the end of the week! But only if you want it... Do you want it? Do you? Do you really?**

**Please review. Constructive criticism, people, I love you for it. Thank you for reading.**


	5. Flesh and Blood

Billy slammed the car door and stomped into the house. His mother was talking on the phone in the kitchen, and when she put her hand over the receiver to say hello to him, he intentionally shot her a glare and stormed up the steps. As soon as he entered his room he slammed his bedroom door and flopped down on his bed. He wished he could slam something else and cause more angry noise so every single person in that house knew how he felt about all of them.

It could've been a simple outing. He could've simply gone and endured the stupid game, endured the long hours, and breathed in enough of the putrid beer stench to the point that he was dizzy. In fact, he had, but he did not have to get his phone stomped on. He did not have to have mustard all down his pants.

Billy was livid, and now, he couldn't even call Eleni or Michelle. As soon as his mother was off the phone, he'd definitely call Michelle and vent. She'd invite him over and they'd pop some popcorn and look at fashion magazines. He'd leave feeling better, and he'd just have to deal with buying a new cell phone the next day.

"Billy?" his mother knocked timidly on the door.

He thought briefly about not saying anything, in hopes that she'd go away, but he knew that wouldn't work.

"Yes, Mom?" he sighed with annoyance, and she entered, closing the door behind him.

"What's wrong? Didn't you have fun?"

"Mom, that's a really dumb question."

She made a move to sit on his bed, and he scooted over to make room. For some reason, he couldn't look at her. He knew if he did, he'd start crying.

His mother finally seemed to notice that his clothes were covered in stains. "What exactly happened, Honey?"

"Well, for one, I need to get a new cell phone," replied Billy. "Mike _accidentally_knocked it out of my hand, and it slid in front of me, where a person stepped on it and crushed it."

"We just bought that phone for you," said his mother disapprovingly.

"Well it wasn't my fault, Mom!" he jumped up and yelled. Then he immediately quieted down because if his dad heard him, he'd get into more trouble after storming out of the game.

"Calm down," said his mother quietly. "Now what happened to—"

"The guy next to me… I don't really want to talk about it. Ok, Mom? I just… can you just drop me off at Michelle's?"

"Give her a call and I'll take you over there, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks."

* * *

Billy called Michelle, who was bored out of her mind, and afterwards, got a shower. His mom dropped him off like promised, and Michelle was already equipped with a bowl of popcorn, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion in the DVD player, and rootbeer floats.

Sometimes, when she wasn't being a snob, Michelle was a great friend. Billy reminded himself that. He, Michelle, and Eleni loved Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. They always joked about learning the threesome dance towards the end, and it was actually a dream of theirs to grow up and own a boutique of their own. Billy would be the designer, and Eleni and Michelle would control the store chains all over the world. It was probably more of a fantasy for the two girls, but for Billy, he wanted it to be his future. He wanted to get away from this place and become a top designer and never look back. He wanted people to look at how his designs reflected him, not his sexuality, though he had a feeling he'd fit right in with the fashion world.

When the movie was over and the popcorn and floats were gone, Billy recounted the whole baseball game fiasco with Michelle.

"Now I don't even know if I'll get a new phone," said Billy miserably. He felt even more horrible having recounted the story to her. "My dad will probably blame it on me. _You shouldn't have had it out! Mike said it was an accident!_"

As he mocked his father is a crude voice, he noticed that Michelle grinned at him sadly. It was a pity-grin, a grin of feeling bad for him. For a moment, it was silent and Billy busied himself by looking around her room at all of the collages and posters.

Finally, he said, "I'm sorry I've been complaining about home so much lately. It must be annoying."

"We're best friends," she replied. "It's the same as family, only we _choose_ to love each other and look out for one another."

They hugged each other, and then her eyes danced. "Speaking of best friends, I say we hold a stakeout at Bozman's and do some spying."

* * *

The walk to Bozman's Pizza wasn't far from Michelle's house. It was in the suburb part of town rather than the actual city, and a lot of the School of Rock gang hung out there on weekends. By the time they entered, Billy was in a far better mood.

They were both wearing large, dark sunglasses—Billy's idea so that they'd look more "Detective"—and they were treating the situation like a real sleuthing mission. They kept hiding behind booths and people, giggling to each other, until they spotted Eleni and Alan sitting in one of the middle booths.

"Look, there they are," whispered Michelle, even though there was no way Eleni could hear them from that far away and in the midst of all of the people in the restaurant.

Eleni was smiling politely, and Alan's back was towards them.

"Quick! Let's sit there!" Billy tugged Michelle's arm. They quickly made their way over to the booth, and hid themselves behind two large menus, peaking over the top. It had to have been quite the sight to the outsider, but it was all in fun.

"What are you guys doing?" came a voice.

Both Billy and Michelle swung around and saw Alicia.

"Oh, hey! We're just being bad and spying on Eleni," laughed Michelle.

"Ooh, girl!" Alicia slid into the seat next to Michelle excitedly. "I've been watching too, and it is _not _going well."

"What do you mean?" asked Billy curiously. He could not stand Alan so naturally, he didn't want the date to go too well, but he did not want this jerk disrespecting Eleni.

"Well, she hasn't said a word since they sat down. By the looks of it, he's been doing all of the talking, and she can't even get a word in," Alicia informed them in a hushed voice. "She's just been nodding all night. I don't know. She looks bored. Do you guys have a signal or something to rescue her?"

"Nope. She doesn't even know we're here, and we don't know if she even really wants us to interfere," said Billy sadly.

He knew that this was Eleni's first real date, and he was horrified that it wasn't going good for her. After taking a good look, Billy saw past her fake smile, and decided that something needed to be done.

"Yeah, ok, I definitely think we have to go on a rescue mission," he said finally.

"Well, I'd love to help, but a fine dude by the name of Leo just walked in, and I have my own date to get through," Alicia said happily, glancing over at the door. She waved goodbye to them and ran over towards Leo.

"Are you sure?" asked Michelle. "I mean, she would've escaped to the bathroom and texted one of us if it was going that badly. I'd be horrified if you guys crashed a date of mine."

"Michelle, look at her." The excited feeling Billy once had was now gone. "Her face hasn't even flinched."

As luck would have it, Alan suddenly got up and disappeared from view. As soon as he was out of his seat, the smile on Eleni's face dropped. She looked sad and deep in thought.

"Come on," said Billy forcefully, getting up to head over towards her. Michelle followed.

"Hey, Beautiful," said Billy, sliding into Eleni's booth and taking off of his sunglasses.

As soon as Eleni saw them, a genuine smile broke across her face.

"Oh my god! Why are you guys here?" she exclaimed happily.

"Rescuing you, duh!" Michelle laughed. "_If _you want to be rescued that is."

"You have no idea," Eleni sighed. "I would do anything to get out of here. He's probably going to make me pay for the pizza!"

"It's _that _bad?"

"Yes! God, Billy, I've texted you under the table like three times!"

"My phone got—"

But Billy didn't get to finish his sentence. He was suddenly yanked out of the booth, and both Eleni and Michelle's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Get out of my seat, Fag!" Alan yelled into his face and then pushed him.

"Alan, stop it!" Eleni was pushing Michelle out of the booth so she could defend him.

All of Bozman's got quiet, and Billy and Alan were staring daggers at each other. This kid was not worth it so eventually, Billy dropped his gaze and stared towards Eleni and Michelle. He took a step forward, and Alan pushed him hard again.

"Make one more move, and I'll kick your ass in front of everyone," said Alan.

"Get out of my way," said Billy quietly. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but he wouldn't give Alan the satisfaction.

"Did you hear what I said?" sneered Alan.

Billy just wanted to get out of there, and before he could even take one step closer to his friends, he fell back hard and hit the floor.

He couldn't see a thing. All he could hear was a collected gasp by nearly everyone in the restaurant, Michelle asking if he was ok, and a large splash.

"Don't you ever come near me again!" Eleni was shouting. "I swear I'll get my brother on you."

Michelle helped Billy up, and when he opened his left eye (the other one was too painful to open), Alan was covered in sticky orange soda. Eleni had thrown her drink on him.

"Fine!" said Alan. "Go hang out with your fag friend!"

"Only if you promise to fall off of a skyscraper," shouted Eleni over her shoulder.

The manager of the pizza place was quickly approaching the scene, and both Michelle and Eleni helped Billy toward the exit. It had all happened so fast, and his eye stung so badly.

For some reason, they didn't head back to Michelle's house. When he assured the two girls that he could walk—it was just his eye that hurt—they ended up walking for a long time in silence. They came across a closed gas station, and Eleni called her brother to come pick them up. Her voice was quiet as she spoke over the phone, and when she hung up, the silence fell over them once again.

Michelle was staring up at the stars. She was oddly quiet in the moment, when any other time, she'd say something, anything to get rid of the awkwardness. Billy almost wished she'd say something, almost asked her to, but realized that he was having trouble finding his own voice. She was most likely mad at him for something, probably for embarrassing them in front of all of those people. She was probably thinking right then and there that tomorrow, when he called, she wouldn't answer her phone nor would she talk to him in school come Monday. That was the way she was.

But did she care what he was thinking, how he felt? His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and he kept replaying the scene in his mind, trying to figure out how it could've been prevented. He was numb with something. He could feel the pain, but could not express any emotion. His eye was throbbing, along with his heart, but he said nothing.

In Eleni's direction, he heard a whimper.

* * *

"What happened to you?" Eleni's brother asked Billy. They had dropped off Michelle already, and he was next on the route.

"Nothing" Eleni answered for him.

Her brother chuckled. "What? Did you punch him out or something?"

"I said nothing!" Eleni snapped, her voice two pitches higher than normal as if she was still crying. "Just leave it alone."

"Relax!"

"Alan punched me," Billy heard himself say.

"Why?"

"Billy, you don't have to—"

"Because I'm a fag." The word slid of his tongue easier than he thought it would. His body felt stiff, and it felt like something was sitting on his chest.

Eleni sniffled again, and her brother did not say another word for the rest of the car ride.

* * *

Billy did not hug Eleni goodbye nor did she say goodbye to him when he got out of the car. This was the second time he entered his house today feeling lousy. All of the lights were off, and he assumed everyone was in bed. He found an ice pack in the freezer—probably one of his brothers'—and placed it on his eye. He winced at the pain, and headed upstairs for bed. He just wanted to sleep the rest of the weekend.

Before he could ease into his own room, he saw that the door to his parents' bedroom was cracked. He figured that they actually had waited up for him so he decided to let them know that he was home. When he approached, he could hear his parents having a whispered argument.

"You said you'd include him!" his mother was saying to his father. "That _means_—"

"Oh, don't you dare! I tried ok, but the kid isn't interested. He'd rather play with his Barbie dolls than—"

"How can you say that? How can you even criticize your own son in that manner? This is probably why he doesn't open up to us."

"Oh, he's plenty open," said his father in a disgusted tone. "Running around here like some little cupcake. But I'm sure you don't care, just like your mother didn't."

"What does my mother have to do with this?"

"She encouraged this behavior from him. All of this homosexual—"

"That's it! We are going to bed, and I'm going to pretend that you didn't say those things about your own son, your own flesh and blood."

"Well, I don't know what he's doing with his flesh, but he won't be doing it under my roof for much longer."

Billy didn't know what was said next because he slinked away, his body shaking with anger and pain. When he entered his room, his tears blurred his sight. It didn't look right, safe enough to sleep. Still shaking and holding the icepack to his eye, he yanked the pillow off of his bed, and slipped outside into the backyard. He made his way in the darkness to his tree and climbed up to the Loft, quiet tears flowing from one eye and stinging his black eye. As he curled up on his yellow chair, the pillow behind his head, he quietly cried himself to sleep.

**A/N: favorite. It really is. This has been written forever, and the next chapter hasn't been written yet, but I'm about to get started on it and hopefully, I'll get half of it done before 10:00 tonight. I like this chapter probably because it's the first time Billy really has anything to fear, his first time ever experiencing hatred of who he is, even though he deals with harassment by his brothers. It's something else when a total stranger hates you for being who or what you are, I'd assume. ::steps down from my soapbox::. I also really like Eleni in this because the way she reacts really shows you how much she really cares about him. In my mind for this story, they are extremely close, the three of them. I want to be able to convey that in this, but I think I'm falling short, which is sad. I truly believe that Eleni would stand up to Alan or anyone who was bullying Billy in front of her. I truly believe that Michelle would know just what to do to have a perfect girl's night with her friends, and even though she wouldn't necessarily know the right things to say, she'd be the friend who would try her hardest to take your mind off of whatever and cheer you up. **

**There are six more chapters, but don't be afraid. Some of them are short and will probably be joined together or taken out completely. But so far, I haven't messed up the storyline too bad where I'd have to do that. The other fic, which is probably my last fanfic for School of Rock, will be posted before my Spring Break, which is in 2 weeks (hah! As if the weather would permit me to actually enjoy it). I'll start giving you tiny bits of info on what it's about. Bit 1: Summer is the narrator. Yes, I'm actually using a main character for once lol Later days. **


	6. Ruined

Billy didn't get a new cellular phone the next day. After last night's events, it was the last thing he cared about, and neither Eleni or Michelle seemed to want to speak to him anyway. He had spent most of the morning in the Loft, drawing in his sketch book.

Drawing. It was the only thing that made sense, that he could control. The desk in his room had a stack of every sketch book he had ever owned, separated into fashion sketches and random drawings and logos. From there, his fashion sketchbooks were in order from 'grotesque' to 'genius'. They were his prized possessions, and even Michelle and Eleni weren't allowed to look through them unless their hands were washed and if they allowed him to hover over their shoulder and explain every picture. His best work yet was in this current sketch book that he usually kept in a box under his bed but had brought it up to the loft the night of Zack's party.

"Billy, what the hell. Mom's freaking out," Brent popped his stupid head into the loft opening, startling him. He had been too absorbed in his drawing to notice him climbing the ladder.

Before Billy could say anything, Brent burst into laughter. "What happened to your eye?"

Billy's black eye still throbbed a little, but not as much as it did last night. He was sure it looked grotesque, a gross black and blue. The ice pack had become useless when Billy started crying and now it was somewhere on the floor. He hoped Brent wouldn't see it or else he'd get another black eye. It was one that he used for his football injuries.

Billy reached for his pink sunglasses and slid them onto his face.

"I fell. Hit it on something."

"On what?"

"I don't know! I can't remember. Just leave me alone. I'll be down in a minute."

"Fine. And take those stupid sunglasses off, _fag_," Mike snickered then roughly ruffled his hair. He listened as the boy's feet landed solidly on the ground and bounded toward the house, then fixed his hair indignantly.

He sat down his sketchbook and took a few deep breaths as he played his dad's words back from last night. Even now, after he had all night to cry and all morning to harden himself from the pain, they still cut through him sharply. How could his own father say all of those things about him?

"Billy, get down here, mister! Breakfast is on the table," he heard his mother call from the yard.

He had to face them with his black eye and lie to them about how he got it, and he had to face his father.

* * *

Breakfast was going painfully. Billy had managed to dodge his mother's questions about his eye. She had pulled him to her, lifted his chin, and examined it intensely like any good mother would do. He had told her the same thing he told Brent. He had hit it off of something at Michelle's house. Michelle had given him an ice pack directly after.

Brent and Mike of course wouldn't stop snickering and cracking jokes at his expense. He ignored them, and his father ignored him, busying himself with the morning newspaper. He felt so numb at the table, sitting with his family, eating a deliciously-made breakfast he couldn't taste. It killed him to wonder how Eleni and Michelle were feeling, and if he'd go to school on Monday without any friends. Everything was a disaster. The more he thought about it, the more he felt nauseous.

"Billy, what time did you get in last night?" his mom asked, breaking through his thoughts. "I was trying to listen for you."

"Late," he mumbled. "I went straight to bed."

"Then why were you sleeping in the tree house?" asked Mike, chopping loudly on bacon.

His father sat down the newspaper and made eye contact with him. Billy looked away quickly. It was enough to make his stomach churn.

"That's what I meant." Billy quickly forced down the last bite of his food, then stood from the table to put his dishes in the sink.

"Where are you going?" asked his father. It was clear in his tone that Billy had not been dismissed.

Billy didn't even have to look at him for the tears to well up in his eyes. He tried to blink them back, but they stung his black eye and made him cry more. He continued to face the kitchen window so they wouldn't notice. Maybe today, he thought, it was better to hide.

"I'm not feeling well, and my eye hurts. Mom, can I please be excused?"

"Sure, honey," she approached him quicker than he had anticipated and placed her hand on his shoulders gently. "Would you like an ice pack?"

"No, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Ok, sweetie, go lie down." She kissed him on the top of his head, and he left the room before he allowed anymore tears.

It did hurt. Not just his eye, but everything. Everything in his life.

* * *

Later in the day after a nap, he was feeling much better. His father had retreated to his home office to do more work, while Mike and Brent had taken the tarp off the in-ground pool and were relaxing and cooling off on that hot spring Saturday. His mother had gone to run a couple of errands, and Billy went outside to retrieve his sketchbook from the Loft. A lawn mower kicked on, and Billy looked into the next yard. Zack Mooneyham was apparently doing his Saturday chores. Billy wondered if Zack had heard by now. That jerk, Alan, probably hadn't wasted any time telling the entire school about how he beat him up. Monday at school was going to be the worst.

He climbed down from the loft, clutching his sketchbook close to him. Mike approached him fast, dripping wet and wearing a smug grin. Before Billy could think fast, Mike had ripped the book from his clutch. He held it up as high as he could with his muscular, meaty arm.

"Ok, how'd you _really _get the black eye?"

"I told you." Billy jumped for the sketchbook. "Please, give it back."

"I personally think someone kicked your ass, and that's just not cool. So tell me the truth."

"Mike, give it back!"

"What? I don't understand. You want me to do what?" teased Mike, backing toward the pool, pretending to be close to tossing it.

"Please!" Billy begged. His heart began to pound. His best work and biggest dreams were in that notebook. It was the only thing holding him together. Nothing as important as that should be in any of his brothers' hands.

"Come on, jump for it," laughed Mike, making a massive jump into the pool. He tried tossing it into the grass mid air, but it flared open and plopped down into the water, pages first.

Billy leapt into the pool fully clothed. Already he could see the damage as he swam towards it. As soon as he reached it, he emerged and tossed it into the grass. He crawled miserably out of the water and rushed to it, flipping through the soaked pages in horror. Not one thing could be saved.

"Shit, I'm sorry, bro," said Mike dully.

"You ruined it!" He shouted at the both of his brothers. Although Brent hadn't exactly caused it to happen, he had been the one laughing as Mike teased him. To Billy, he was just as responsible.

"Relax, it's just a notebook." Brent laughed.

"It's not just a notebook, you stupid ogre! This is my life!" Then he snapped, throwing it at Mike as hard as he can. It hit the boy in the face, who retrieved it from the water and tossed it onto the grass, as if the action would correct his mistake. He stared back dumbfounded.

"What the hell is your problem!"

"My problem is that I hate you. My problem is that I hate this entire family." He pointed to the soaked notebook. "And now my life is ruined so I get to hate that too."

Billy burst into tears and tore off running into the house. He left his sketchbook, the one thing that held his deepest passions, his wildest dreams, his best creations, and his dignity lying in the grass to rot in the sun.

**A/N: It's been a couple of years, huh? Lol I decided to start this up because even years later, several people have contacted me to update. I didn't mean to discontinue it, but I got so busy that I just couldn't finish it. I'm going to try to finish it now, hopefully in 4 chapters. Good thing I know how I wanted to end it. As for a correction, Alan originally asked out Eleni for a date on Saturday night, not Friday, but I made it happen on a Friday. I'll go back and change it to him asking her for Friday when I'm not so lazy. ****If you've returned to this story after so long, thanks and welcome back! Please don't hate me if this chapter is terrible. I'm obviously a little rusty with the story. If you're just now reading this for the first time, thanks for reading! Next chapter is already partially written. Please review! **


	7. Deep Stuff

Billy sat completely still on his bed, staring at his bedroom door and listening. He heard when his brothers had finally stopped playing video games and went to bed. He heard his father complaining about his mother's reading lamp before they fell silent as well. All that was left was a quiet, sleeping house. He looked over at his alarm clock. It was 3 in the morning.

He rose from the bed, dug into the back of his closet as quietly as he could, and found the old backpack his parents had bought him for school long ago. This was during his early days of sneaking his mother's fashion magazines into his room. In one of the magazines, a couple of men modeled shoulder bags in preppy outfits. He admired the men and wanted to look just as stylish. Billy refused to use the backpack and asked for a shoulder bag instead. His mother complied, but his father had been cynical.

His shoulder bag wasn't going to hold what he needed, however. Only the backpack would.

He began taking his favorite clothing off of his hangers, folding them nicely, and stuffing them into the pack. He debated over several shirts, but told himself that he needed room for some of his sketchbooks, underwear, and face and hair products. Added to that were pictures of him, Eleni, and Michelle and several knickknacks. He hiked the pack unto his shoulders, and his knees almost buckled before he could stand straight.

"God!" he grunted, feeling the weight of all of his favorite things shoved into one small compartment. Lastly, he placed his pink sunglasses delicately on his face.

He tiptoed out of his room, and thought about grabbing some towels and some food. He stopped himself immediately, knowing that if he added anymore stuff, he would end up falling down the stairs face first. He patted down his pockets for the wad of money he had been saving from birthdays and Christmas, and before he knew it, he was out the door, out onto the open street, running away.

* * *

Billy was six houses down when he heard jogging footsteps behind him. He froze, expecting to find his dad in a rage or one of his brothers. He braced himself and turned around, only to see… Zack?

"Hey, Man," the boy tried to catch his breath.

"Zack? What are you doing up so late?"

"Because I'm up. Why are you leaving your house so late with a backpack? Totally not your style, right?"

"Not usually," Billy shrugged, hiking the pack back onto his shoulder. Even under the circumstances, Billy felt like his backpack was bulky and unstylish, but his shoulder bag wasn't very useful when it came to loading up with runaway survival tools and clothes.

An awkward silence passed as both of them stood in the middle of the empty street.

"So…" Zack cleared his hair out of his eyes. They started walking. "Why are you running away?"

"Why do you care?"

"'Cause you're my neighbor, and we're friends."

Billy scoffed in amusement. "Correction, we _were_ friends. We haven't been for awhile."

"Dude, harsh."

"For speaking the truth? Come on, Zach," Billy rolled his eyes. "If we were friends, why didn't you invite me to your little sleepover the other night?"

Zach sighed. "A, because I didn't think it was your thing, and B, because Alan's a jerk, and I knew he'd try to embarrass you in front of everyone."

"Alan's worse than a jerk," Billy muttered.

"Yeah, I know. Michelle told me all about what happened last night," said Zack quietly.

"You talked to Michelle about it?"

"Yeah. I called her up tonight. Got bored with texting."

Billy was dying to know what Michelle had said about him. Did she tell Zack that she would never be friends with him again? Did she stand up for Billy or did she laugh with Zack over the punch? He couldn't bring himself to ask. It hurt too much to, and all he wanted to do was escape from that pain.

"Where are you going anyway?" asked Zack.

"Catching a bus to New York. Where else? Fashion week starts soon and so does the rest of my life away from this place."

Zack snickered. "Dude, you're 12. They're going to call the cops before you even buy the ticket. You're wasting your time."

"Then what should I do? Go to school on Monday with this," Billy yanked his sunglasses off, revealing his eye, "and get ignored by the only two friends I have while Alan threatens me some more? Or better yet, stay at home for another day and pretend that my dad doesn't hate me or ignore my brothers calling me 'fag'?"

"Hey, man, don't take my head off," Zack through his heads up in defense. "How about we just, I dunno, talk for a minute?"

He didn't know why or how he could even bare it, but Billy agreed to Zack's suggestion. They went over to Zack's house, tiptoeing around quietly until they were settled in Zack's bedroom. Billy hoped to God that his parents wouldn't wake up. The Mooneyhams were the last people Billy wanted to see him like this. Zack assured him that both his parents slept with earplugs on the weekends so that they could ignore all morning disturbances. Billy had the funny feeling that Zack meant himself.

Zack's bedroom was pristine, which clashed heavily with his disheveled appearance. Even his rock posters were framed. There was a time he wouldn't have been allowed to have them, but Billy assumed that he and his parents had made some sort of compromise, for Zack to express himself musically but within their limits.

It had been a long time since Billy had been inside this house. It was both the same and different. Kind of like Zack himself.

"So, spill," said Zack, plopping down onto a black beanbag couch. Billy sat down on the edge gingerly.

"Fair warning, if I do this," started Billy warily, "You might learn stuff about me. Stuff that might make you uncomfortable. Stuff that—"

"Billy, you tried to play wedding with me when we were, like, seven and cut straight to the honeymoon. I caught on that you were kind of different," Zack interrupted. Again, he swept his hair out of his face, and again, Billy wished he had some scissors. "I don't care that you're gay. Just…talk."

Billy told Zack the entire story, from the moment his phone was broken to his prized sketchbook floating in the pool, every horrible detail intact. It rushed out of him, and the numb feeling he had been carrying all day floated away. He was used to telling stories and relaying gossip to anyone and everyone who would listen. That was the easy part, but now _he_ was the piece of gossip. Zack had never cared much for things like that, and Billy wasn't entirely sure that he was even listening. There was even a chance Zack had fallen asleep in the middle of it.

If he did, Billy didn't know. After he was finished, Zack simply said, "Wow, Man."

There was a long silence. Billy caught his breath.

"How about you just screw everyone?" said Zack out of nowhere.

"What?"

"We'll never be good enough for our parents so screw trying. Be good enough for ourselves," Zack shrugged. "Alan punched you. Screw him. He looks like the jerk, not you."

"Really, Zack? That's your advice?" Billy rolled his eyes in frustration. "My life is over and you're telling me it's no big deal? That I'm being over-dramatic."

"You saying that makes you over-dramatic," Zack laughed. Billy didn't. He fell back into the couch miserably. He watched as his bulky backpack fell over face down.

"I'm not saying it's not a big deal, but your life isn't over. Didn't you learn anything from Dewey?" Zack thought again. "Well, anything good?"

"Stuff about being ourselves and music setting us free," Billy mumbled, flinging his hand off-handedly. "And the man."

"That's why your life isn't over. That's why even though I'm stuck here with my preppy parents who wouldn't understand me if I came with a manual, I can handle it."

"You just don't… understand how hard it can be sometimes, living with people who treat you like some kind of alien."

"Have you met my parents?" joked Zack.

Billy rolled his eyes again, this time playfully. Then he became somber again. "I've never felt this hopeless. I always try to be myself, never anything else," said Billy, "but I can't see how things got bad so fast. I feel like I'm going to be sad for the rest of my life."

Two days ago, just _two days, _he had been happy. He had friends, he had a home, and even though his brothers were tyrants and his father seemed oblivious to anything going on with him, he still felt secure in some way. Even the jerks at school were just unintelligent bullies who didn't phase him too much. But for the first time in a long time, he felt like being different could only bring him a broken heart. What would be left of him if he continued to be torn down?

"I used to feel sad a lot too. Just, like, stuck in this box everyone expected," said Zack. "I pictured running away, like, a hundred times. Even some stuff worse. But then I discovered music—music that I actually liked—and that's where I started putting all of those crappy feelings."

"That's what my sketchbooks are to me, but even those get ruined, Zack. Even those can get taken from me."

"But your love for it won't, right? Keep that, and no matter what happens, you'll always have something to look forward to."

Billy thought about that a long time. It almost made him cry, but he had cried too much that day. Believe it or not, Zack had a good point. Before things became awkward and Zack would ask him to leave, Billy decided to take focus off of his problems and change the subject.

"Michelle is going to love all of this deep stuff," he said, rolling his eyes with an easy smile.

"So she digs me? In that way?" Zack reached for his acoustic guitar like it was a reflex.

"Well, yeah. Isn't it obvious? The question is, do you _dig _her? We're, like, talking about my best friend's heart here." _Or ex-best friend_, Billy thought sadly.

Zach chuckled, strumming a couple of notes. "Yeah, she's cool. I always got the sense she was out of my league though."

"Maybe she is, but she's definitely rooting for your team. Did I just make a sports reference? Ew."

Zack laughed again. "Yeah, we should cut that out."

"What I'm saying is if you like her, ask the girl out."

* * *

It was that simple. Billy and Zack started talking about Michelle and pretty soon, he was playing a song he wrote for her, asking Billy if she would like it or think it was creepy. Billy knew Michelle would be bragging about that song for months after she heard it. Billy gave him some inside advice on what Michelle liked and didn't like, and Zack made mental note of a couple of things but announced that he didn't want to know too much. He wanted to get to know the real her on his own, but he _did_ want to know if there was anyone else she liked other than him and if she had had other boyfriends. Eventually it was a little after 5 in the morning, and both of them were yawning and half asleep.

Billy stood up slowly, and lugged his backpack onto his shoulder. He fell back onto the beanbag couch under the weight, and Zack laughed.

"So what are you going to do?" asked Zack. "Still walking to the bus station or what?"

"No, too tired," Billy yawned, "and this thing's too heavy."

"You can crash on the beanbag couch if you want. If you don't want to go home."

Billy was reminded of old times. Playing in each other's backyards, sleeping over, doing homework at each other's kitchen tables, birthday parties. He even remembered liking Zack, in the way little kids can have crushes, and maybe that was the first time he realized he was different in some way. He wanted to go back to those days, but he and Zack were different people now.

Still, he still didn't feel safe going home, or even sleeping up in the Loft.

"Are you sure that's ok?" he asked timidly.

"Yeah. My parents won't mind or anything, and I don't feel like walking you downstairs." Zack crawled into his bed and scrambled under a thin blanket. His hair fell over his eyes again, and Billy would've assumed he was sleep had he not spoken again. "Up to you, Man. You can use that blanket on the floor."

"Ok," Billy agreed uncomfortably. He didn't understand how Zack could be so laidback about it, but eventually, tiredness overpowered everything. He wrapped himself in the blanket and stretched out on the beanbag couch. Zack tossed him a flattened pillow, and Billy tried to fluff it up. "Hey, Zack?"

"Yeah?" Zack mumbled.

"Thanks," Billy grinned. "For being a friend."

"You're School of Rock family. Not even Alan can mess with that." Soon, Zack was snoring.

As Billy drifted, he admitted to himself that he didn't really want to run away. He didn't want to fit all of his favorite things into a backpack, and he didn't want to make his mother sad. Was it possible for him to follow Zack's advice?

He fell asleep before anymore hopelessness grabbed a hold of him and joined in with Zack's chorus of light snores.

**Author's Note:**

**The advice Zack gives to Billy in this chapter is how I try to live my life as well. When you think you're all alone and you have nothing and no one understands you, remember the one thing you love and hold onto it and allow it to get you through anything and everything. That's what writing is to me and probably a lot of people on this site. If it's not for you, I hope you can find that one positive thing that you wake up everyday thinking about. **

**Even when I first started writing this story, I knew that I wanted Zack to stop Billy from running away. I knew that I wanted him to talk about everything and end the conversation feeling like he had an ally. I wrote this from those ideas alone, and it was really difficult, which is why I have mixed feelings about the job I did on this chapter. I originally didn't plan on Billy to spend the night, but the characters both seemed so tired and Billy wasn't quite ready to go back to what he was running away from so it seemed like the Zack thing to do. Again, this story isn't slash so don't expect it. **

**I won't be updating this story until early or mid-February because I want a chance to work on another fanfic that I haven't updated in forever and I want to work on my own original stuff as well. So be patient, and I'll see you guys then. 3 more chapters! Please review!**

**Ps: if you want to read another SOR fanfic of mine, go to my profile and find "Dealing With It". I wrote it several years ago so the writing isn't all that great, but it's still a fun little read. **


	8. Hate or Thank

**A/N: How the [insert bad word] has it been past a year since I updated this?! It felt like only a few months ago…. Oh well, here's the third to last chapter. 2 more to go.**

Monday came, much to Billy's dismay. But like any middle school kid, he had to show up and face everything that had happened. And a lot had happened.

He was terrified. By now, the whole school had probably found out about the showdown with Alan. What if Alan decided to finish what he started? What if his friends would abandon him, and he'd have to spend the rest of his school life eating lunch alone? Things already sucked at home. School, in some sad, sick way was his only solace. It would probably all be different now.

He braced himself to run into Eleni at her locker that morning, but she wasn't there. He saw Alan once, but the boy seemed to be preoccupied with talking to one of their classmates Billy usually ignored. Now, he would have to survive 1st period Study Hall, where they usually gossiped before being silenced.

Eleni and Michelle were sitting together, heads pushed together in whispers when he walked into the study hall room. They looked up and Billy lingered at the front of the room, hoping that they would give him a sign. Michelle crossed her arms and averted her eyes from his. Eleni stared down at the table, frowning.

There it was. His own friends had disowned him. The rest of the day went like this, Billy drifting the halls alone and focusing on class work rather than passing notes back and forth and making faces at his two best friends.

When lunch time came, Billy hid, actually _hid_ in the bathroom, foregoing food all together. He was hungry, but he wasn't going to go through the humiliation of sitting alone.

He hid as long as he could, until his stomach growled loudly, and the smell of today's potato wedges wafting into the air didn't help.

He left the bathroom but was pulled back by the arm to the other side of the hallway before he could protest. When he spun around, he was in the girl's bathroom, face to face with Eleni. Leni, the girl who was always cheerful and optimistic, looked ridiculously sad.

"Hi."

"Hi," he replied cautiously.

"You totally hate me, don't you?" frowned Leni.

"No, you totally hate me."

"I could never hate you, Billy. Ever. I love you."

"Then why didn't you call me?" he asked accusingly. Love meant calling your bestfriend to see if they were ok, not ignoring them the entire weekend. "Why didn't you let me sit with you guys in study hall?"

"Because," Eleni dropped her eyes guiltily. "I did something that I don't think you'll like."

"What?" Billy was wary.

"I told my mom about Alan," she confessed. "I asked her if she could speak to Mullins, and _she'll_ probably call your parents and tell them."

Billy felt his stomach drop down to the floor. Now things were really going to get bad. "Oh my God, why'd you do that?"

"I'm so sorry. I swear."

In waltzed Michelle, who had apparently been listening the entire time because she looked super annoyed.

"Billy, what happened Friday night was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen." Michelle crossed her arms defiantly. She was going to defend Eleni against anything he would say. "Alan's a psycho, and Leni was freaking out. When I got home, I felt like throwing up. We're best friends, and we look out for each other so you can either hate her or thank her. Which is it?"

Billy looked from Michelle to Leni and back to Michelle. God, he missed them so much! He flung out his arms and attempted to hug both of them at the same time. The three of them fell into a group hug and giggled at the mushiness of the moment. So they hadn't abandoned him after all.

"It doesn't matter who told what. It's not going to change. It'll just make stuff worse for me at home." Billy hugged Eleni again. He was mad, but he didn't want to lose them again. "Something happened Friday night after I got dropped off."

"What?" asked Michelle.

Billy breathed and told them about what he overheard his parents talking about. They listened intently. The bell rang and all of them knew they were definitely late, but they didn't care.

"That sucks," said Eleni. "Now I really should've called you."

"But what Zack did was sweet," Michelle smiled warmly. "Did you guys, like, talk about me at all?"

"Michelle!" Eleni scolded amusingly.

"What?" Michelle raised her hands in mock defense. "I'm just saying, if he was really my bestfriend, he'd help a girl out."

Billy laughed, and it felt good. "Consider yourself helped, Chelle. God, you are so full of yourself."

* * *

Things went back to semi-normal for the rest of the day, but Billy could feel the School of Rock friends' eyes on him, could almost hear the whispers of how Alan kicked his ass. Gym was the last class of this day, and the moment that he had to face Alan in some sort of unpredictable environment. Michelle and Eleni weren't there by his side to get him through it so he stayed out of the way, as he decided he would do until he graduated and moved far, far away.

Alan was well-behaved in gym, given a teacher was around, but Billy knew that the locker room and dismissal was a free for all. He got dressed lightning fast and although he usually tried to go and search for Michelle and Eleni after school, he just wanted to get out of there and go home. He left out of the gym doors, hoping to make it around to the front of the school where everyone could see him, but Alan was right on his tail.

"I can't believe you'd even show your face back at school," said Alan, smirking. Billy stopped momentarily, feeling scared, but picked up his pace.

He heard the rest of the guys from gym, all the ones he knew no doubt, all spill out onto the grass going to find their bus or pick-ups. But of course they all stopped to watch the altercation. Billy didn't feel like being anyone's joke, not after the terrible weekend he had.

As he walked away, he felt the harsh tug of his blazer, and he was yanked backwards before he could make it around the corner. "Hey, where are you going? Let's finish what we started!"

"Just, _stop_, ok!" Billy shouted back, his voice shuddering from anxiety and embarrassment as he faced Alan. "Leave me alone."

"What? Scared that your boring little girlfriend can't fight for you? Oh wait, I forgot. You like doing it with boys."

Billy couldn't believe he was starting on Eleni, the girl he had just asked out on a date a couple of days ago. Before he could even stand up for her or himself, an ally spoke up.

"Alan, just leave him alone," said Zack suddenly.

"Why are you taking up for him, Mooneyham?" Alan sneered. "Are you his boyfriend now?"

"So what if I was?" Zack said coolly. "You're gonna give me a black-eye too? 'Cause I'd love to see you try."

Zack was usually laid back and wasn't the type to fight, but right now, he looked beyond irritated. If he was standing up to Alan, then that meant Alan had gone too far and Zack was going to let him know it. Freddy noticed what Billy did and began shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Alan, dude, it was funny for awhile but just let it go. Billy's School of Rock family," said the blonde boy. Zack was a leader in School of Rock, and people tended to follow him, Freddy included.

"School of Rock is gay. I don't care about that crap!" mouthed off Alan. Now Freddy looked annoyed as did the other boys. "So what do you say, _Fag_, let's finish what we started?"

Alan began advancing on Billy, but Zack grabbed him to hold him back. Before Alan could react and throw a punch to anyone, Billy or Zack, Billy heard approaching footsteps crunching through the grass.

"Well, well, well," came a deeper voice. "What's going on, boys?"

Billy couldn't believe what he was seeing. His ogre big brothers, Brent and Mike, were approaching the scene. Billy's eyes widened in shock. What were they doing there? Were they going to humiliate him in front of everyone, joining in with Alan?

The rest of the boys backed up, including Alan, but it was too late. Brent grabbed his shirt, practically lifting him off the ground, and placed him right back where he had been trying to intimidate Billy.

"Who the hell are you?" Alan asked weakly.

"We're Billy's brothers," said Mike, wearing his superior grin. Billy knew from experience that nothing good could come from that grin. "Something you'll learn well enough if you decide to start swinging fists again."

Brent hoisted Alan up onto the wall by his shirt and got in his face. "You ever touch my little brother again, it'll be the last thing you ever do, Bro."

"Let go of me!" Alan shouted.

"I'll let go when I feel you've got the message," said Brent.

"I got it! I swear I got it!"

"All Billy Boy has to do is say the word, and your little ass will get it," said Mike. "Do we need to reiterate?"

Alan shook his head no. Brent dropped Alan to the ground, and the boy jumped up and ran past everyone and back into the school.

"Still hate us?" asked Mike, ruffling Billy's hair. "Let's go."

Billy didn't say anything to the others. He didn't even look at Zack. He was still in shock and the only sensible thing was to follow his bulky brothers to the jeep to go home.

"I didn't know you even knew what the word 'reiterate' meant," mumbled Billy in awe, hopping in.

"Well, we've got surprises up our sleeve today. Wait 'til we get home," said Brent, tossing back a smile. For the first time in forever, Billy felt grateful for his brothers.

**A/N: I know it feels quick and abrupt, so, sorry. 2****nd**** to last chapter coming in a couple of weeks' time! Honestly! It's 65% written. I'm almost to the finish line. Thank you for your support even though I don't deserve it. I've been doing this story for SEVEN years. **


	9. This Gay Thing

Billy's mother was waiting patiently in the living room when he and his brothers arrived home from school. During the jeep ride, they had given him a nice long lecture about how he had to stand up for himself and fight back, but if any skinny little punk messed with him again, they'd cause havoc. He listened to them, still amazing that they had stood up for him at all.

When he walked into the living room, he and his mother made eye contact, and she frowned at him.

"Hey, Mom," he said weakly, knowing that she knew everything that had happened that weekend. "I'll be upstairs."

"Wait, we need to talk," she replied. "Come sit down, all of you."

Billy and his brothers made it to the couch.

"Mom, what's up?" asked Brent.

Their mother took a long pause before speaking. "Ms. Mullins called me today and told me about what's been happening at school with Billy. That he's been being bullied, and your father and I have to come in for a meeting."

"No!" Billy shouted, leaping up from his seat. "Don't do that. Don't tell Dad."

"Dude, calm down," muttered Mike. "Don't worry, Mom, we handled it today. That kid will leave him alone from now on."

Their mother scoffed. "It's not that simple. Billy, why didn't you say anything about this to me or to your father? How long has this been going on?"

Billy squeezed his eyes shut. Why did Eleni have to open her mouth? This was beyond embarrassing, and his mother was acting like it was his fault or something.

"I'm sorry, ok," he cried. "Just don't tell Dad. Things will get better, and he won't bother me anymore. Leave it alone." He stormed out of the room and into the hallway.

"I'm not leaving anything alone!" she raised her voice, stopping him in his tracks. "You are _my _son, and I love you and will protect you."

"And what's Dad gonna do?" Billy spun around and shouted back, his chest rattling with anxiety. "Huh? Send me to some homo camp where they brainwash me to stop all of that _gay _crap?"

"Billy!" his mother was shocked.

"That's right," Billy started to cry. "I'm gay, and people make fun of me and call me 'fag' to my face or behind my back! They don't do anything different than Mike and Brent right here at home. They don't say anything different than Dad does. But then I get a black eye and suddenly it matters."

"Billy." Now his mother was crying as she approached him. His brothers sat frozen on the couch, staring at him. It was the first time Billy had told them he was gay.

"Go ahead, Mom, protect me!" he sobbed, as she grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. They sobbed together, standing there in the hallway embracing.

How long they hugged, and how long they cried, Billy couldn't tell. When he pulled away, all he knew was how draining it felt, to say something out loud and not feel relief, but feel anger and fear all at once.

He had no clue if his mother was going to tell his father or not, but he sincerely hoped she wouldn't. When they broke apart from the hug, she silently allowed him to go to his room, where he collapsed on his bed and fell asleep, exhausted from all that had been revealed that day.

* * *

Around dinner time, he woke up to commotion outside of his bedroom. He didn't want to get up, didn't want to face any of his family, but eventually the commotion stopped and the door opened up. Billy rolled over in his bed and saw Brent and Mike enter.

"Get up," ordered Brent somberly. "Meet us downstairs, in the cave. We've got something for you."

They left the room. Billy stayed on his bed. He had confessed to them that he was gay, and now they were calling him into the basement, their workout and gaming room? Was this going to be another baseball moment, where they would try to sweat the gay out of him, or worse, brainwash him out of gayness by forcing him to play video games nonstop?

Eventually, Billy made his way downstairs. There was nothing else to do but do what they asked. If he was going to be awake, he wanted to get his mind off of the scene that kept replaying itself. Why _why _had he announced that he was gay in such a fashion? He surely hadn't wanted to do it with tears streaming down his face.

Billy went into the basement and saw Mike and Brent whispering while sitting on the bench of their lifting equipment. They both looked up when they saw him arrive, and Mike got up and disappeared into the bathroom.

Brent led him over to the sunken in couch they used to play video games, and soon, Mike reappeared.

"What do you guys want?" asked Billy, suddenly scared by the seriousness of his brothers. What were they going to do to him?

"We, uh, wanted to give you your birthday present early," said Mike. He handed him a wrinkly, badly damaged notebook that Billy recognized immediately. It was his favorite art book with his favorite designs that had fallen into the pool a few days ago.

"We, uh, tried to blow-dry it with Mom's hairdryer," said Mike. "It's your fashion stuff."

"I don't want this. It's ruined," Billy made a face.

"There're still some good pages, Dude. Stop whining and just redo the messed up ones. Transfer it to another notebook, which by the way," Mike pulled another artbook from behind his back that looked identical to the one they had destroyed, only this one was brand new, "we got you for your birthday."

Billy took both books now, staring at them in surprise. His brothers had actually used brain cells to think of a good gift. It was simple, but it showed they cared, even more so than threatening to beat up his bully.

"We screwed up, ok, but you need to keep this," said Brent. "It's like my old football jersey from elementary school. Can't wear it anymore, and it's ripped and crap, but that's where it all started, you know." He sighed loudly as Mike sat down next to him. "Listen, we don't really get you and this gay thing, and we probably never will, but we're still brothers. We piss each other off. So you have to stop with that shit about hating us."

"I hate it when you call me a 'fag'," said Billy.

"That's precisely why we do it." Mike cracked a smile.

"No, I'm serious." He did his best to look his brothers straight in the eye. "That hurts me more than anything that anyone could say to me. More because you're my brothers. You stood up to Alan for me, but you guys treat me the same way."

"Look, what do you want from us? If we didn't love you, we wouldn't have tried to fix our mistake."

"I just want you to…" Billy breathed, "stop calling me 'fag'. I'm not asking you to get the gay thing, but that's who I am. This notebook is who I am, the Loft. That's who you're saying you love. But why threaten Alan if you have the same mentality as him?"

"Fine, we'll try," Brent agreed. "But like I said, we're brothers, we piss each other off."

Mike and Brent had an evil glint in their eye, and before Billy knew it, he was in a headlock crying out for dear life. Mike and Brent cracked up until Billy said the magic words, "Thank you awesome and amazing brothers for the best birthday present ever", and then he was let go to breathe again.

After the laughter of the two boys died, the seriousness returned.

"You do know you can never tell Dad, right?" said Brent somberly. "I mean, we all know. We've always known, but if you tell him out loud—"

"Sounds like Mom's already going to do it," replied Billy.

"There's no way she would," said Mike. "She was pretty shaken up when you announced it to the world today. She knows exactly what Dad would say, and it wouldn't be pretty."

Billy was hoping they were right, that she wouldn't say anything.

"That's our other birthday present to you, I guess. We'll keep Dad busy and distracted until you grow up and get the hell out of here."

"I'm turning 13 this Saturday. That's, like, an eternity from now."

"Well so is my inevitable football scholarship to an ivy league university, but you don't see me complaining." Brent grinned widely, pleased with himself.

"Woah."

"What."

Billy shrugged offhandedly. "One, you know how to pronounce 'inevitable', and two, you actually have hopes of an ivy league. The surprises keep coming."

"Woah ho ho, look who's gotten ballsy all in one day," laughed Mike. "That's no way to talk to your superiors, Little Bro."

"We're brothers. We piss each other off, right?" asked Billy in amusement, collecting his birthday presents and getting up from the couch to go back upstairs. And before he knew it, he was in another headlock.

**A/N:** **The last chapter is 90% finished so it will be posted in a couple of days (or weeks?). And then this fic will be complete! :D **


	10. Thirteen Candles

**A/N: For those of you who haven't read my profile, just wanted to mention that this is the last "School of Rock" story I will write and 3****rd**** to last story I will ever write/finish on this site. I've had a great run on here for several years, and I'm grateful for all the views and reviews I've received since my very first post, but I think it's a great time for me to move on once my other 2 stories are done. Thank you for the support and enjoy the ending to the story I've been writing over 7 years now. :) Sorry if it disappoints, but this was always how it was supposed to go. Enjoy :)**

**This FINAL CHAPTER is dedicated to the person who was previously Redcraft :)**

* * *

A week had passed, and things were only a little better. But better was better than nothing.

Alan was still a jerk and probably would always be, but Billy's mother had put the fear in his parents about his bullying going on his permanent record, meaning no ivy league college for him, and Alan stayed quiet about Billy's brothers' threat. It was nice to know that he had gotten a dose of his own medicine. Alan left Eleni alone completely, which didn't seem to bother Eleni none. In fact, if they weren't inseparable before, Billy and Eleni were even more attached at the hip these days. He wasn't mad at her for doing what he would've done if their places had been switched, looking out for his best friend.

Zack still hadn't asked out Michelle, and she was still being annoying about it. The School of Rock gang had agreed to come to his birthday party due to Zack standing up for him and Freddy's 'Billy is our family' speech, but they most likely didn't really want to. But Billy was going to make sure he had fun at his party no matter what.

His father was still ignoring him and luckily oblivious to the bullying at school. Like his brothers had predicted, their mother hadn't said anything and went on to handle it herself. Billy didn't attempt to listen to anymore late night conversations about how gay and embarrassing he was. He was gay. He would always be gay. Zack was right, and in some crazy way, so were his brothers. If someday he wanted to live the life he deserved, he was going to have to find something to live for.

Looking into the mirror as he fixed his collar on his lime green polo shirt, gelled his hair coolly, and added his pink sunglasses, he knew that he would lean on fashion.

Eleni had come over early to get ready, and he was giving her a stunning makeover in the bathroom. Her clothes, her makeup, her hair, he had planned everything and made her look perfect. She was oddly quiet as he worked on her, but he let her bask in the beautification of his imagination.

When he was done, he marveled at his work. "Oh my Gosh, Leni. You're so beautiful," he told her sincerely.

She looked at him strangely then, almost shyly, still quiet.

She considered something, and before Billy knew it, she leaned in and gave him a sweet, long kiss on the lips. He returned the kiss out of surprise, but his lips were the only things feeling anything. It certainly wasn't the first kiss he had had in mind, between him and his best friend, a girl.

"Leni…" Billy was shocked.

"Do you think…" she trailed off for a long time, her eyes concentrated on the floor, "that one day, you might feel the same?"

He lifted up her chin softly. "No, Leni, I don't think so."

She laughed nervously. Her voice cracked as she met his eyes. "Kiss the gay guy. God, I'm stupid, huh?"

"No," he whispered, still confused by her action.

"It's just… you're always there for me. And I always want to be there for you. Is that weird?"

He tried to put it in her perspective. He was the one boy she could count on, the one who had her back, who she could talk to about how she felt. She would always be that girl for him as well.

"No, not weird. Leni, I love you," he smiled at her, regaining confidence. "And if I liked girls, there's no doubt in my mind, I'd choose you. That's why you're my best friend."

"Then… I guess we better find the guy equivalent of me," she smiled back.

"Come here," Billy laughed, pulling her into a close hug.

Michelle popped her head into the bathroom, surprising them both.

"Awh, group hugs. I love group hugs," said the girl, throwing herself onto them. The three of them giggled.

"Really, Billy? You couldn't wait five seconds to start the beautification."

"Shut _up, _Chelly. You know you're next," said Billy, pulling her in and placing her in the makeover chair in front of the mirror. "We have to get you smokin' for Zack."

"Why are you wasting time?" said Michelle, tossing her hair and sticking up her chin.

Billy and Eleni exchanged another smile while Billy prepared to work on Michelle. He knew that the kiss would be their secret and that their friendship wouldn't change. Once upon a time, he had been confused about Zack, but these things came and went. Just as birthdays did. And one birthday, perhaps he would be spending it with someone he could love the same way they loved him.

* * *

The techno music was playing and the lights were dimmed as Billy and his escorts, Michelle and Eleni, descended down the stairs into a crowd of their classmates, all from School of Rock, mostly coupled up and grouped off. But they were all there. Even Freddy was there with Katie with Zack as a third wheel. Alicia was the first to greet Billy at the bottom of the stairs with a hug and then everyone joined in, telling him congratulations, saying 'Happy Birthday' and patting him on the back. Then, the partying began in the backyard.

His mother had set up everything the way he had wanted it out back. Outside was a long table of homemade hors d-oeuvres, sweet baked goods, and sherbet punch that Freddy seemed intent on devouring all by himself. Billy had wanted chic sitting areas for people to sit down and chat, and his mother had told him that beanbag chairs would have to suffice rather than fancy modern couches like in the magazines he flipped through. There were neon lights flashing in all directions of the backyard and multicolored tea lights floating on the pool. It wasn't exactly a New York rave, but it was as close is it was going to get in his rich suburban neighborhood.

Billy's mom watched from afar but tried to stay out of sight as much as possible, and his brothers were grudgingly down in the basement playing video games to stay out of the way of the party. His father had most likely made up some excuse of why he couldn't be home for his son's birthday, but Billy tried hard not to care. Everyone surprisingly seemed to be having a great time.

He was dancing with Eleni in the middle of the dance floor and laughing hysterically when something caught her eye.

"Oh my God!" Eleni laughed even harder, wheeling Billy around to look at what she saw.

He watched as Tomika and Lawrence finished climbing the ladder and disappeared into the Loft, _his _Loft.

"They totally went up there to make-out!"

"That better be all," Billy protested, shouting at the wooden treehouse, hoping they would hear him. "Ew, just ew!"

"Better than Freddie and Katie. Then things would really be gross," Eleni joked.

The both of them now looked towards the area of beanbag chairs where Katie and Freddie were cuddled up and making out openly while Michelle and Zack chatted. Not long before they joined the party, Michelle had detached herself from Billy's arm and found Zack to hang out.

"They look so pathetic!" Eleni shouted over the music to Billy as they now half-danced, half-spied on Michelle and Zack. "Why isn't he asking her to dance?"

"When was the last time you saw Zack dance!" Billy shouted back.

"Good point! But come on, we have to help her out."

Billy knew that Zack wouldn't dance to this music, and he knew that Michelle desperately wanted to. Zack had helped him out. He wanted to be a good friend and help both of them. He approached the stereo system and tried to find the perfect song. It had to be an oldie if only to pay tribute to Dewey's teachings that old music was where the true heart of music lie. Billy found what he was looking for and switched the music to "Come Sail Away" by Styx.

Everyone turned to face him, wondering why the sudden change in music.

"It's the only kinda sorta slow song of the night. Take advantage!" Billy told the crowd and then looked pointedly at Zack who took the hint.

He saw Zack whisper to Michelle, and they got up from the chairs. He led her out onto the dance floor, and then they began to slow dance.

Billy moved himself to the middle of the dance floor amongst the now slow dancing couples. When he reached Eleni, he held out his hand majestically. "Epic bestfriend dance?"

She smiled and took his hand. "Epic bestfriend dance."

They slow danced together until the music picked up with a drum solo. Laughing, they let go of each other and spun into craziness, dancing alone. Billy flailed his arms in the air and spun around with glee. Everything filtered through his pink sunglasses until he closed his eyes and tried to free himself.

After the song ended, the music shut off as well as the neon lights. Everyone looked around frantically until yellow light appeared from the doorway of his house. Walking toward him was his mother and brothers holding a large topsy-turvy yellow and pink two-tiered frosted cake, candles aflame on top. His brothers looked half-annoyed, most likely out of having to pause their video game and pretend to care about this party. The chorus of happy birthday spread amongst everyone and Billy began blushing. By the time his mother and brothers reached him, it was time for him to blow out the candles. Everyone crowded around him now, except for Tomika and Lawrence, who were no doubt still making out in the Loft. He looked around at all of their faces, eager for him to make his wish and get their slice of cake. Zack had his arm around Michelle, who looked like she had just won the lottery. Eleni was by his side, staring in awe at the cake. He closed his eyes, made his secret wish, and blew. As they cheered, he kept his eyes closed for a moment and allowed himself to soak in this moment of being surrounded by friends and people who loved him.

He was thirteen, and he was gay. He had a mother who cared and two big brothers who had his back in the most unexpected situations. He had two gorgeous best friends by the name of Michelle and Eleni, and he looked super stylish in his pink glasses that night. These were his truths, the important things that defined his life.

But the biggest truth was that he was going to survive this life being no one but himself.


End file.
